This was Wu Zhiguo's private affair; though they were friends, they were outsiders and had no place to interject.

“Let’s go. My cousin should be at home right now; I need to return and check the situation. As for that woman of his, I truly don’t know where she is now, but I can find people to inquire!”

After suffering for a while, Wu Zhiguo rallied his spirits.

His poison was not yet cured, and his cousin's true colors had not been fully revealed. He had to pull himself together now and re-engage in the fight.

Only by saving himself could he protect everything, including his own younger brother.

Wu Zhiguo knew his full brother, Wu Zhishuang, very well. It was true he enjoyed frivolous pursuits and occasionally pursued a few starlets or even spent money to procure some for a fling, but he rarely gambled or became addicted to anything.

For him to suddenly be so deeply involved in gambling and to have lost so much money had to be for another reason.

At this moment, his thoughts naturally drifted to his cousin, Wu Zhiliang.

Wu Zhiliang managed the family’s southern business interests, which included Macau. He had heard recently that Wu Zhiliang had made several trips there. Wu Zhiguo certainly didn't believe that this entire situation had nothing to do with him.

The group re-boarded the car and departed. They would not interfere with the Wu family’s domestic matters, but they would assist with Wu Zhiguo’s personal troubles.

Curing his poison was the most important thing on everyone’s mind right now.

As the car drove on, Wu Zhiguo’s cell phone rang again. One had to admit, the quality of phones at this time was quite good; Wu Zhiguo had thrown it so hard, yet it was completely undamaged.

Seeing the number, Wu Zhiguo was slightly surprised, and a little agitated.

He immediately pressed the answer button. As soon as he brought the phone to his ear, a choked sob came through the line.

“Brother, save me! You absolutely have to save me! Someone is threatening to hand me over to the Police Bureau and the Court to investigate my corruption!”

“Nonsense. How can there be any corruption in our own family business? Zhishuang, tell me exactly what is going on, right now!”

The call was from Wu Zhiguo’s biological younger brother, Wu Zhishuang. Even if he hadn't called, Wu Zhiguo was planning to call him anyway to inquire about the situation.

Wu Zhiguo’s reprimand calmed Wu Zhishuang slightly on the other end of the line, and he slowly began to explain.

Wu Zhishuang was not as highly valued within the family as Wu Zhiguo. He had also studied abroad, but he had a strong desire to play and was always quite hedonistic.

He was not the first heir and did not need to take over the family business, so no one paid much attention to his constant play, as he was unlikely to cause any major disaster.

Six months ago, he met a young starlet in Hong Kong and fell instantly in love, pursuing her crazily.

He was immensely wealthy, and he successfully won her over. They immediately became inseparable.

Later, this starlet began taking him to Macau frequently. He didn't enjoy gambling, but he couldn't resist her soft pleas, so he started to gamble.

At first, the stakes were small, then they gradually grew larger.

After losing a portion of his money, he intended to leave, but the starlet was unwilling, so he had to stay and continue gambling. As a result, he gambled bigger and lost even more.

After losing too much, he began to tap into company funds, hoping to win back what he had previously lost.

On the gambling table, those who lose more tend to lose even more. Winning it all back was fundamentally impossible. In the end, not only did he fail to recoup his losses, but he also accrued enormous debts.

By this time, he was completely trapped and couldn't extricate himself.

For some reason this time, a high-ranking executive from the company suddenly arrived in Macau. He caught Wu Zhishuang gambling on the spot and learned about the large debts he had incurred and the vast sums he had lost.

This executive reported the matter up the chain. Subsequently, the family took it very seriously and immediately began investigating him. The investigation uncovered problems; unknowingly, the public funds he had embezzled had already exceeded one hundred million.

He was already in charge of finance; without this context, he would never have been able to divert such a large sum of money.

Losing over one hundred million to gambling—even a family as powerful as the Wu family could not tolerate such a disaster. If he could lose one hundred million now, he could lose a billion or more later.

Gambling is strictly forbidden in any family, regardless of its stature.

When the matter came to light, the family was utterly shocked and immediately scheduled a meeting to discuss his fate. Before the meeting, someone even proposed handing him over to the judicial authorities, which ignited his panic.

Wu Zhishuang also mentioned that Wu Zhiliang had been helping him all along. In fact, Wu Zhiliang had known about his embezzlement for quite some time and had even scolded him about it once, but ultimately helped him conceal the truth.

This time, Wu Zhiliang was going to plead leniency for him within the family. If he hadn't heard whispers that he might be turned over to the authorities, he wouldn't have sought help from Wu Zhiguo proactively.

After hanging up, Wu Zhiguo kept his eyes closed, silent for a long time, occasionally taking sips of water.

A conspiracy. This was a meticulously planned scheme. If his brother surfaced with such a massive scandal at this particular time, the entire family would be preoccupied with the issue, leaving no time to focus on anything else.

During this period, the impact of his sudden demise would be minimized to the lowest possible level.

If both of them were ruined, Wu Zhiliang would naturally become the new successor without arousing anyone's suspicion; they would only lament the misfortune that had befallen the family, believing they had run into a streak of bad luck recently.

Only now did Wu Zhiguo understand how sinister his seemingly low-profile cousin truly was.

It had to be admitted, his plot was excellent, and the timing was precisely controlled. If he hadn't encountered Zhang Yang and uncovered his scheme, Wu Zhiliang might have succeeded in the end.

Perhaps, before dying, he would even have thanked this cousin for helping Wu Zhishuang and for working so hard on his own behalf, finally entrusting him to manage the family affairs well.

Such a possibility was genuinely real.

However, now that he knew everything, Wu Zhishuang’s plot would certainly not be allowed to materialize.

After a while, Wu Zhiguo picked up his phone again and dialed a number.

“Seventh Uncle, it’s Zhiguo. There’s something strange about Zhishuang’s situation this time. Could you do me a favor and help me investigate the background of that starlet around Zhishuang—her detailed background, especially whether she has ever been in contact with anyone in our family!”

After speaking, Wu Zhiguo hung up.

Wu Zhiliang was not directly involved in Zhishuang’s current debacle; everything seemed to center on that starlet. But Wu Zhiguo’s intuition told him that this starlet must be connected to Wu Zhiliang.

She might even have been sent by Wu Zhiliang specifically to ruin Zhishuang.

As the legitimate son and grandson of the main lineage and the future successor, Wu Zhiguo had always received the best education. Simultaneously, he knew more about the family's inner workings than ordinary members.

His authority was also much higher than that of general family disciples.

For instance, this Seventh Uncle was a covert force within the family, specialized in gathering intelligence—whether it concerned allies or enemies. He oversaw all such matters.

This Seventh Uncle was of Wu Zhiguo’s father’s generation and was an adopted son of Wu Zhiguo’s grandfather. However, few people knew his true status; he was considered direct family, known only to a select few.

Wu Zhiguo was aware of his capabilities, which is why he assigned him this task. If his hunch was correct, Seventh Uncle would surely help him uncover some issues.

The car finally arrived near the Wu residence, and Zhang Yang and the others got out.

“Zhiguo, go inside first. Don’t reveal any cracks in your facade. Your primary mission is to find out the location of your cousin and his girlfriend. Most importantly, his girlfriend. Once you know where she is, leave the rest to us!”

Zhang Yang instructed Wu Zhiguo. As long as they found the person, Zhang Yang was confident he could force the method for the antidote out of them.

Zhang Yang possessed that certainty.

“Zhiguo, listen to Zhang Yang. He won’t harm you. Right now, Zhang Yang is the only one who can save you!”

Long Cheng slapped Wu Zhiguo on the shoulder and added his instruction. Wu Zhiguo nodded, understanding Long Cheng’s meaning.

After agreeing, Wu Zhiguo went home first. The others found a hidden spot to wait; it was not appropriate for so many of them to appear simultaneously right now.

“Zhang Yang, what you used just now, was that the legendary Hypnosis?”

While waiting, Huang Hai suddenly asked, his eyes still wide open.

They had all witnessed the previous encounter where Zhang Yang questioned the old TCM doctor. Zhang Yang had asked only one question, and the doctor had willingly revealed everything, which they found incredibly miraculous.

Long Cheng and Li Ya also turned their gaze toward Zhang Yang.

Except for Long Cheng, who knew Zhang Yang’s true background, Huang Hai and Li Ya were completely unaware, and they were now intensely curious.

“You could call it that. As you all know, I studied medicine. Medical studies expose one to many things, and hypnotic therapy is one of them!”

Zhang Yang smiled faintly and explained softly.

Both Huang Hai and Li Ya nodded in apparent agreement.

They believed Zhang Yang’s explanation. Hypnosis was inherently mysterious, much like many aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine, such as acupuncture, where Zhang Yang’s skill had achieved things they couldn't comprehend.

Adding hypnosis now seemed plausible enough.

Only Long Cheng’s eyes remained wide; he was the one most acutely aware of how difficult true hypnosis was, far beyond what could be achieved with casual talk.

“Zhang Yang, you are truly amazing. Can you teach me that trick sometime?”

Li Ya said with great interest, already looking eager to try.

“I can, but this trick is not easy to learn. First, you must stay awake for three full days and nights without sleep, while remaining immersed in ice water, maintaining consciousness. Additionally, you must stare continuously at a single object for 24 hours without letting your mind wander. This is to train mental fortitude. These are just the preliminaries; after practicing for three years, you might achieve minor success!”

Zhang Yang smiled slightly as he spoke slowly. Li Ya grew increasingly astonished, and by the end, terrified.

Three days and nights without sleep, plus staring at an object for 24 hours—this sounded more torturous than death itself. Moreover, enduring this for three years crushed Li Ya’s enthusiasm for learning.

“It’s that difficult? Then you must have suffered immensely when you were learning it!”

Huang Hai asked, his face etched with profound shock.

Zhang Yang looked thoughtful, as if recalling something, and slowly nodded. “Yes, I suffered a great deal when I was young—a hardship you cannot possibly imagine!”

Internal energy cultivation was certainly not simple talk. Zhang Yang had started cultivating from childhood in his previous life; he never had the childhood that other children enjoyed, and the suffering he endured was in no way less than what he had just described.

Recalling those past events, Zhang Yang felt a tinge of sadness and melancholy. Unfortunately, he had no place left in this life to revisit those memories; they were completely gone.

…………